§ Mr. Footasked the Parliamentary Secretary to the Admiralty whether the Department of the Judge Advocate of the Fleet assists the preparation of the evidence and charges for the courts martial and is also the Department to which alone a final appeal may be made.
Mr. DugdaleNo, Sir. The Judge Advocate of the Fleet is in no way concerned with the preparation of evidence and charges for naval courts martial. These duties are entirely the concern of the prosecution and the convening authority. The minutes of proceedings of all trials by courts martial are reviewed by Board of Admiralty as soon as possible after the trial, and at this stage the Judge Advocate of the Fleet advises the Board on points of law. His advice is also available on all petitions which raise questions of law.